Disclaimer: I don't own TMM, "Not My Time" by 3 Doors Down, or the AU contest judged by Kish's Kittie.
Reviews are wonderful! And a special shout out to sakuuya for being a great beta!
"Look out!" Ichigo jumped, the blast from below barely missing her. She landed on what used to be a building, and paused to catch her breath.
"Thanks, Ryou. On your left!" Ryou spun, raising his blade to block an attack. He twisted his sword, yanking his opponent's weapon out of his grasp, and sent it flying into the abyss below. There was an unearthly scream, and a huge shadow came hurtling out of the darkness. It was almost a person. It looked like one for the most part, except it had huge, black, bat-like wings, and a purple-black aura about them. The thing snapped its wings open so it hovered above the cliff-top, the sun glinting maliciously off the claws on its hands and wingtips.
"I got it!" someone shouted below. The person leapt from jutted rock to jutted rock to reach the thing, so fast he was nearly a blur. On his way up, he stole a kiss from Ichigo. Growling, she swiped at him, but missed.
"Cut it out, Kish!"
Kish grinned cheekily back down at her. "Aw! But that would ruin all my f -- "
"Behind you!" she shrieked. Kish flinched, saving his own life. A ball of purple-black aura shot mere centimeters over his head. He turned, all the humor gone from his face. Before the thing had any time to react, Kish had loaded and fired his tonfas.
"You know, Ryou," he called, dodging an uppercut, and landing a few feet above Ichigo, "I could use a bit of help, here." He launched himself into the air, just before the rock below him exploded.
"I'll be right there," shouted Ryou, loping his opponent's head off. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes. Man, even disarmed, these things were tough.
"What'd I miss?" Ryou jumped, swinging his sword around to fight. Minto rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, it's just me."
"Sorry about that," he said, relaxing. They both stared up at Kish's battle. Ichigo was yelling insults at Kish. In her own way, she was cheering him on. "Hey," Ryou said, thinking.
"Hmm?"
"Can I use your bow for a sec?"
Minto sighed dramatically. "Well, if you must."
Ryou rolled his eyes, mocking her. "I'm not going to break it or anything."
"Uh-huh," said Minto, not impressed. She crossed her arms, and watched Ryou. Swiftly, Ryou took his sword, nocked it like an arrow, pulled back, and took aim. "What are you -?"
"Heads, Kish!" He let go, sending the sword flying straight into the thing's chest. It screamed, the same sound from before. Ichigo covered her ears; Minto winced. The thing fell, plummeting to the ground until its wings got caught in some tree branches.
"Thanks for the heads up." Ryou blinked, then laughed. The sword had pierced Kish's shirt, pinning to the thing.
"At least it's dead now!"
"Well how the hell am I supposed to get down from here now, huh? Think of that one?" There was a ripping sound, and, protesting, Kish fell over the abyss. A golden blur tackled him in mid-air onto a rock ledge.
"Kish, no na da!"
"Oof!"
"Purin was getting worried about all of you, no na da! Tar-Tar and the others are still underground, though."
"That's… lovely. Now could you please get off me?" Purin giggled. She was sitting on Kish's chest, leaving him unable to move. Bouncing once before getting off, (Kish moaned.) Purin jumped off of the ledge, flipped on the way down, and landed next to Ichigo.
"Hi, onee-chan!"
"Purin, don't do that to Kish," scolded Ichigo, ruining the effect by hugging Purin tightly. "I'm glad you got out okay," she murmured into the smaller girl's hair.
"Me too." Ichigo jumped, spinning around so that she was shielding Purin. Ryou grinned. "Got you!"
"You did not!"
"Uh-huh," Ryou remarked, "Sure." There was a rumbling sound, and Minto darted up the cliff-face to where they were standing. The ledge she and Ryou had been on minutes ago crumbled and fell into the abyss.
"Well," she said, brushing her blue bangs out of her eyes, panting slightly for breath from the sprint, "I think we should go down there and help the others. Don't you?"
"I just need to get my sword."
"And grab Kish while you're up there!" Ichigo called after him. Ryou waved to show he heard, but did not turn around. He passed Kish, who was gingerly sitting up, and clambered up to the tree. When he reached the top, he paused, looking below him. The cliff he and the others were on was high above the tree line. Perhaps a hundred meters below where he stood, metal beams crisscrossed one another, forming a shaft to that led to an underground labyrinth. The sunlight caused the metal to glint a harsh blue-purple color. Ichigo made a face at Ryou, trying to get him to hurry up. Ryou shrugged, and walked over to the tree. The thing had half-fallen out of the tree, only its right arm and wing were ensnared, now. Tugging, Ryou struggled to get his sword out of the thing's chest.
"It's not… budging!" he panted.
"Try harder!" shouted Ichigo.
"That's not helpful!" he shouted back. Grunting with the effort, Ryou tried fruitlessly to cut the sword out. Suddenly, the thing's wings unfurled, catching him in the gut, and sending both him and the sword flying. Ryou exclaimed in shock and pain, landing a few meters away. The thing sprang into the air, and dove down the side of the cliff. There was a high-pitched scream. Ryou rolled onto his stomach, and peered over the side of the cliff.
"The Null got Purin!" Ryou's insides turned to ice.
"No…" he whispered. Minto gave a scream of frustration, and jumped off of the ledge. She landed gracefully on a metal beam below.
"Are you coming, or not?" she asked accusingly, glaring up at the rest of them. Not waiting for their replies, she descended into the darkness. Kish swung his legs over the side of the ledge while pushing off with his hand, sending himself falling after Minto. Ryou slid his sword into its sheath and jumped, landing next to Ichigo.
"Come on," he murmured, resting his hand on her shoulder. "You have to be strong. We'll rescue her in time." Ichigo nodded, swallowing her tears.
"Right." She took off, landing on the closest beam, Ryou right behind her. Together they left the light of the sun behind.
"Duck!" Tart dropped to the ground without hesitating. Zakuro swung her bo over his head, and rammed the Null in the face. Retasu came from behind, and brought her throwstick crashing down. The Null fell like a stone.
"We did it!" cheered Retasu, taking a step back.
"Not quite."
Tart turned to glare at Pai. "Whad'you mean 'not quite'?" Pai said nothing, then darted forward. The Null was stumbling to its feet. Swiftly, Pai slashed off one of its wings with his metal fan. With a scream, the Null charged, its tar-like blood oozing onto the tunnel floor. A spear flew through its head and clean out the other side. The Null stopped dead in its tracks, wavering.
"Nice shot."
"Thank you, Miss Zakuro," Keiichiro replied. "But come, we must escape while it's confused."
"You mean that didn't kill it either?" asked Tart, incredulous.
Retasu grabbed Keiichiro's spear, and handed it to him. "Please, Tart. Let's get out of here while we can." Tart nodded, glancing one over his shoulder. The hole in the Null's head was already starting to heal. They ran down the tunnel, taking sharp turns to try and confuse the Null. A dark figure ran into the passage in front of them. Keiichiro kept on running, charging with his spear. There was the sound on wood knocking on wood as the attack was blocked.
"It's me."
"Masaya!" Keiichiro lowered his weapon. "You scared us. We thought you were a Null."
"I'm not yet, and don't plan on ever being one," he said grimly. There was a scream.
"Was that a - ?" asked Retasu tentatively.
"No…" Tart was thunderstruck with horror. "It's Purin!" He spun on his heel, and dashed down the tunnel.
"Tart! Come back!" It was too late; he was already gone.
"…Who else is coming?" asked Zakuro, facing everyone else.
"Let's go." Masaya started running down the tunnel, not leaving time for anyone to answer, the others at his heels.
"Ichigo!"
"Ichigo, wait!" Ichigo ignored both of them, sprinting down the winding tunnels.
"Ichigo! Look out!" Something was hurtling down the tunnel towards her. Her eyes widened; there was not enough time to avoid impact. Dread twisted in her stomach as Ichigo braced herself, waiting for the inevitable crash into the Null. Eyes squeezed shut, she ran into something soft, and … warm? Opening her eyes, she looked up.
"Masaya!" Masaya grinned, and pulled Ichigo into a bear hug.
"I'm glad you're alright!" he murmured into her hair. Ichigo blushed.
"Zakuro-oneechan!" Minto hugged Zakuro around the waist. Ryou raised an eyebrow at Keiichiro; he merely smiled.
"Well this is a lovely reunion," Kish remarked, staring warily at Pai, "But don't you all think it's time we got going?" Pai raised his arm, as if he was going to strike Kish. Kish flinched. With a swishing noise, Pai threw his fan over Kish's head, and severed the head of a looming Null. Retasu screamed. The Null collapsed to the ground, blood bubbling at the stump of its neck. Ryou looked at Kish, worried. All the color had drained from Kish's face, leaving it as white as parchment.
"The Nulls are gathering at a central point," Pai said flatly, "Purin will most likely be there." There was a hitch in Ichigo's breathing. Both Ryou and Masaya looked at her worriedly. Kish gave a weak smirk.
"Aw, kitten! Are you scared of the Nulls? I'll protect you!" he darted in for a quick kiss, but Ichigo hit him over the head, knocking him to the side.
"Stop. Calling. Me. Kitten!" Ichigo raged. Ryou tried to smother his laughter with his hand. Laughing, Kish ran in the direction the Null had come from.
"Come and catch me, if you can!" he taunted, hands on hips. Ichigo ran after him, but Kish danced out of reach. Zakuro walked calmly and silently behind them, her bo held loosely by her side. Without warning, she crouched and spun the bo at their ankles. Ichigo jumped out of the way, startled, but Kish was not so lucky. "Wah!" He fell to the ground, glaring at Zakuro. "What did that do?"
Zakuro looked coldly down at him. "It's time to stop fooling around. We need to prepare before we run in there." They heard a scream of rage. Everyone turned to look down the tunnel. It was like staring into a black hole: all the light was eaten by the circle of darkness.
"We'll attack in a diamond formation." Keiichiro said. "Masaya, you should be the leading point, with Ryou and myself behind you."
"Zakuro and I will go next," Pai stated, glancing at Zakuro. She nodded.
"Retasu, you want to be next?" Ichigo asked.
"I – I guess so…" Retasu mumbled.
"Ehem!" Minto said pointedly.
Ichigo glared at her. "With Minto, too, of course."
"And I'll bring up the rear!" exclaimed Kish. He hugged Ichigo, whispering in her ear, "Don't worry. I won't let any of the Nulls touch you!" Ichigo rolled her eyes, and pried Kish off of her.
"Sure, whatever you say, Kish." They all took up their positions, shifting nervously as they waited.
"Everyone ready?" Ryou asked, glancing over his shoulder. Instinctively, everyone tightened their grip on their weapons. "Then let's go!" He ran down the tunnel, sword ready to strike. He did not have long to wait. The first Null did not even turn around as he beheaded it, but the second was smarter. It tried to knock him over with his wings, screeching a warning to the others. Ryou smiled grimly; he would not fall for that one again. Then there was no more time to think, just to fight. It seemed like the very air he breathed was clogged with the Nulls' dark aura.
"Masaya, no!" Ryou looked to the side, still fighting a group of Nulls. Masaya had disappeared.
"Ichigo, what happened?" he called, barely able to see his friends.
"They – they took him, God damn it! I can't -- ! Not both of them!" The surging tide of the fight shifted, showing Ryou a glimpse of Ichigo. Tears were streaming down her face, but her expression was one of rage; her teeth bared in a snarl. Then she was gone, off battling another foe.
Ryou fought his way over to Keiichiro. "I'm going to try and find Masaya," he shouted, decapitating the Null Keiichiro was fighting. Keiichiro grinned his thanks, and turned so he and Ryou were back to back.
"Don't go on a suicide run; we all know what most likely will happen."
"If we're not giving up for Purin, we're not giving up for Masaya!" Keiichiro looked at Ryou, his eyes full of understanding.
"Are you sure it's not just because -- "
"On your left!" Ryou gave a sigh of relief as Keiichiro became too preoccupied with fighting to lecture him any longer. "I'm leaving!" he warned. Keiichiro nodded, still struggling with his opponent. Ryou stayed just long enough to finish his duel with the Null in front of him, then he too vanished into the crowd.
The cry ripped from his throat unbidden. He had been so close to reaching her, and then his path was blocked by a swarm of Nulls. Tart ruthlessly ripped through the Nulls in his way, fighting to reach the one that had Purin. He did not know how much time had passed, only that he had very little left. To top it all off, the Nulls just kept on coming back to life! Wildly swinging, Tart managed to behead one of the Nulls. And it stayed dead! Armed with this knowledge, Tart made his way through the cloud of Nulls to the one he was pursuing. It saw him, screeched, and flew down a side tunnel.
"Oh no you don't!" Tart yelled, chasing after it. The Null snaked its way through the tunnels, trying to loose Tart. The only sounds were of the wind whistling over the Null's wings, and the slap of Tart's feet against the ground. Suddenly the Null disappeared from view. It screeched. Speeding up, Tart rounded the corner where he last saw the Null, and sighed in relief. It was a dead-end.
The Null turned to face Tart, dropping Purin. She let out a soft moan as she hit the ground. They stared at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Suddenly, Tart dashed forward, trying to catch the Null off-guard. With a flap of its wings, the Null avoided the attack, catching Tart in the ribs with a powerful kick. He lay stunned for a moment, the wind knocked out of him, but it was a moment too long. The Null landed on him, pinning him down with its own weight. Teeth bared, it lunged for his throat.
There was a rumble, and rocks started showering down from the tunnel ceiling. The Null paused, mere centimeters from Tart's skin. Then, a huge boulder came crashing down through the Null's wing. It gave a scream of pain, flapping backwards with its good wing. Tart scrambled backwards, rocks still falling from the ceiling. He grabbed Purin, and fought his way through the falling debris, past the Null, and into the tunnel beyond. There was one final rumble, and a cloud of dust exploded from the mouth of the tunnel Tart was just in, enveloping him and Purin.
Coughing, his eyes streaming with tears, Tart looked at where the mouth of the tunnel was. Or, at least had been. The rumbling had caused a cave-in, sealing the Null in that dead end forever. Tart shuddered, feeling a momentary flash of pity for the Null, who could never die.
There was a scream from somewhere behind him. Tart turned, and froze in horror. Purin was writhing on the ground, screaming in agony. Purple and black aura rippled over her, multiplying even as they dived into her. With a strangled cry, Tart dashed to Purin's side, fumbling with a pouch at his throat.
"No! No! Purin, not you! Anyone but you!" Hands trembling, Tart extracted a few green leaves from his pouch. Chewing one of the leaves, Tart pulled Purin's upper body onto his lap. He winced as a few stray tendrils of aura wormed their way into his body. As carefully and gently as he could, Tart forced the leaves down Purin's throat. She screamed even louder than before, her body bucking, and flailing its limbs about. Tart pinned her down the best he could, tears streaming down his face. "C'mon, Purin. C'mon," he moaned desperately. Her head was resting in his lap as he forced her arms to her sides. Time seemed to stretch on forever as he sat there, every one of her cries piercing him. The screaming turned to gurgling, then was cut off. Tart shook his head as Purin stopped moving, reaching for her hand. There was no pulse. Giving a wail of sorrow, Tart fell on Purin and sobbed, too heart-broken to hear the sounds of fighting approaching.
Slowly, his crying faded into silence. He lay there with his head on Purin's stomach, just listening. There were screams of Nulls as they died, and the clash of claws and weapons. Occasionally, Tart heard one of his friends call out to one another. They all seemed so distant now.
There was scuffling near his tunnel, and suddenly something landed right next to Tart. He lifted his head, tears still running down his face. Ichigo was standing up, wincing from having slid all the way across the tunnel floor. She looked at Tart, and froze.
"No…" she whispered. "No!" Tart said nothing, staring blankly at Ichigo. "You little monster! What did you do to her?" She picked Tart up by his shirt, and rammed him into the tunnel wall.
Tart's tears flowed more heavily as he whispered, "I loved her, too." Ichigo dropped him, feeling as though he had just slapped her. She turned and fled, leaving Tart lying on the ground, crying.
Ryou ran down the twisting tunnels, not daring to look over his shoulder. The good news was that he was still alive. The bad news was he did not know if he could say the same for everyone else. He had lost track of where he was shortly after escaping a swarm of Nulls. Time, too, was irrelevant as he ran, trying to put as much distance between himself and his pursuers.
There were footsteps in the tunnel next to his. Ryou could see where the two tunnels converged up ahead. He ran faster, sword at the ready, trying to get the upper hand by reaching the junction first. His sword fell to the floor with a crash as something knocked him to the floor. Ryou lay there for a moment, confused as to what was going on. A wet spot slowly spread across his shirt. Someone was hugging him, and … crying? He picked up his head, peering at a mess of red hair. Stiffly, Ryou lifted his arms, and wrapped them around Ichigo.
"Shh! Shh! It's okay! I've got you, now." Murmuring reassurances, Ryou gently rubbed Ichigo's back. "Shh! You're okay. It's safe now. Shh! Shh!" Gulping for breath, Ichigo shook her head, and buried her face farther into his shirt. Ryou blushed, and moved his hand so that he was stroking her hair.
"D-dead," she stuttered, not lifting her face. "S-she's d-dead!"
Ice filled Ryou's belly. He clutched Ichigo, resting his head on top of hers. "Oh, Ichigo!" Tears leaked from his eyes unbidden. They lay there, silently comforting each other in their grief. Minutes passed in silence, save for the sound of crying. Dreading her response, Ryou whispered, "I'm sorry… I couldn't find Masaya." Ichigo hugged Ryou harder, her breath hitching with sobs. After a while, Ichigo's sobbing stopped. She did not move, just simply breathing. Ryou's face reddened as it became clear she was not planning on moving.
"Uh, Ichigo?"
"What?" Her voice was a horse whisper from all her crying. Ryou's heart nearly broke at how drained she sounded. He wanted to protect her from all this, but it was too late.
"Do you… Do you mind getting off me, now?"
"Hmm?" She blinked, tickling Ryou through his shirt."Oh!" Ichigo sat bolt upright, blushing furiously. She stood up, reaching down to help Ryou up. They stood awkwardly for a moment, blushing in the gloom. Ichigo hugged herself, trembling. Ryou sighed as he heard her start crying again.
"Hey," he said, hugging her from behind. "What's the matter?"
"W-we're all going to die here, aren't we?"
Ryou laughed lightly. "Nah! You're too stubborn to die!" Ichigo sighed, knocking her head back against his chest. "And Minto! Do you think she'd die someplace where there's dirt? I mean, she might get dirty!" Ryou said in mock horror. Ichigo laughed. "Pai wouldn't see the logic in dieing, and neither would Zakuro!" He gave Ichigo a light squeeze. "Have a bit more faith in our friends. They're tough."
Ichigo sniffed. "Purin and Masaya were tough, too."
Ryou sighed, his chin on top of Ichigo's head. "I don't know what to tell you." Ichigo leaned sideways into Ryou's arm. "All I know is that I'm not going to die down here."
"Who's idea was this, anyway?" Ichigo asked, looking up at Ryou.
He grinned. "Kish's."
Ichigo groaned. "I should've known!" She was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Ryou?"
"Mm?"
"I want to see the sun again before I die."
Ryou smiled, and kissed the top of Ichigo's head. "I promise you, you will."
'Cause it's not my time
I'm not going
There's a fear in me
It's not showing
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
But I won't go